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The Narim are an ancient people of anthropomorphic insects or arthropods (but not crustaceans) who are historically seen as one of the tribes native to the Regalian Archipelago long before the rise of the Regalian Empire, but who upon its creation were immediately integrated and voluntarily joined due to visions of the Everwatcher. The Narim are a small minority in the Regalian Empire that is often unseen, because many of them live underground, not out of a preference for subterranean living conditions, but because they see it their holy mission to protect Regalia from the threats that exist deep in the cisterns and tunnels running under the city. These areas predate the current era and the previous one, sewers successively built on top of each other for each civilization that held the Crown Isle, Empires which inevitably crumbled and left behind terrors in the deep that would break out onto the surface if it were not for the Narim holding the line. The Narim also serve a dual function in that they protect the Sewers from attackers from the surface also, taking a benevolent middle-ground position of guarding the peace and allowing for an underground economy to thrive in what otherwise would just be a dirty sewer. As much as the Narim are likely the smallest minority in the Regalian Empire, their service to said Empire are so crucial, that if they were to stop their historical record keeping and bureaucratic work, the Empire would surely crumble. They are also the last line of defense for those hiding from oppression and persecution from surface dwellers, meaning that they show sympathy even to Vampires, Undead, and Geists, so long as they behave and don't turn to violence or terrorism to provoke surface dwellers.
| Narim | |
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| Nation State | Regalian Empire |
| Ruler | Emperor Alexander I |
| Other Present | Integrated People |
| Languages | Common, Other |
| Religion | Unionism |
| First Recorded | 10,000 BC |
| Demonym(s) | Narim |
Core Concept
The Narim are a Race of anthropomorphic arthropods (but not crustaceans) with strong humanoid proportions but with varying interpretations of insect-like biology overlaid on top. The Narim live in a strongly monastic and religious community that observes a flexible variant of Unionism, and fulfill their holy task to protect the Isle of Regalia both from monsters within, and without, as well as the forgetfulness of history.
History
While most Races have nebulous origins obscured by religious dogma or lack of remembrance, the Narim have no misconceptions about how they came to. The Narim all universally accept that they were the by-product of genetic engineering by the Meraic Civilization which perished over 20,000 years ago, leaving their ancestors as semi-sentient maintenance servants in various locations around the world, where Meraic Hive Cities stood. To this day, some Hive-Cities still contain Narim populations, who still attempt to maintain what is left of a rotting thousands-year-old ruin. Before the Regalian Empire was founded, or the Emperor was even born, the Narim received visions all over the world around 5,000 BC that one day would come the first speaker of their god would walk the earth and that they should find the isle at the center of the world to render aid. It was thus that a large part of Narim society crafted sea-faring vessels and sailed to Regalia, eventually landing on the isle of Mandu, which is mostly inhabited by Elves and Asha in the modern era. For much of the following 5,000 years, the Narim lay in wait, hundreds of generations preaching the words of the visions of that first generation to successive generations that could only repeat these words to the next generations, as they would not live to see the prophet walk. In this period, Mandu was often considered off-limits for Ailor, as even though the Narim were not hostile, the Ailor felt unease and alien-ness from their appearance in the jungles of Mandu. Some smaller groups of Narim returned back to the Meraic Hive City Ruins from which they had left thousands of years, disillusioned about their purpose and unable to console the fact that their purpose could not even be completed in their lifetime, these would later become the Hive Tenders. For those that remained, their purpose was made clear when Theomar the Prophet appeared, citing exactly the gospel that had been foretold to the Narim thousands of years ago, causing the Narim to jump into action even without the knowledge of the Solvaan, Ailor and Eronidas, who were forming armies to tackle the Elven puppet states in the Archipelago. When the siege of Regalia itself came to be, the Narim burst out of the sewer tunnels that they had explored centuries prior hidden from Elven eyes, flung open the gates to the city, and joined the proto-Regalian armies in deposing the Elven tyrants. In gratitude to their service, Emperor Theomar integrated the Narim into the Regalian Empire as full citizens, they were granted many religious sites to form warrior-monk sanctuaries, and self-imposed a duty to protect this nascent Empire from the dangers deep below. Over time, the racism towards the Narim reduced, to the modern day where they are a fully integrated people of the Empire, and Half-Narim or quarter-Narim children are quite frequent. Throughout the centuries they faithfully recorded history in all its facets, and when the bureaucracy was formally founded, they took on most of the high positions as scribes and leaders. In the modern Era, Narim are widespread in a number of social settings, including Knighthood, the Bureaucracy, Temples, even Nobility.
Physical & Mental Characteristics
As described, the Narim are a race of anthropomorphic arthropods (excluding crustaceans), meaning, they can look like humanoid versions of spiders, butterflies, moths, beetles, and so much more. It is however important to note that they are specifically humanoid. a Narim can't have centipede-like proportions and multiple body segments. A Narim always has a set of legs, a torso, a head, potentially a secondary abdomen that is very much less pronounced, and at most two sets of arms. Narim should always appear far enough removed from their insect inspiration so as not to trigger for example arachnophobia when exposed to their visual representation (such as the ones seen on this page) and have human-emotion reading eyes. When it comes to a specific design, however, creativity is encouraged, with colors, fur, carapace, and species combinations like a moth and a scorpion. Narim can have tails, (non-functional, decorative) wings, and a variety of mandibles and antennae. They can never be dryder-like in design or centaur-like in proportions. Narim are warm-blooded, and do not lay eggs. They are capable of reproducing in mammalian fashion with other Races, and as such, Half-Narim are possible. Narim personalities vary greatly, from the more stoic monastic warrior-monks to the boisterous and loud self-imposed sewer police, or the haughty and sophisticated aristocrats. Narim have over time abandoned their taught habits and language from the Meraic creators, and adopted the varied cultures of the Regalian Empire, meaning their behavior is usually more informed by whatever Culture they are prone to, than biological inclinations. Narim do not need to live underground, it is sometimes just a chosen circumstance for them to do so.
Heritage Traits
When designing a Character, Proficiency Points allow for a limited Ability selection with Point Buy Packs. Heritage Traits adds free Packs and Mechanics on top of that to help with cultural themes. Free Packs grant Abilities usually, while Mechanics change the way a character functions in Roleplay through subtle, and usually out of Combat ways. In essence, Mechanics just add aesthetic flair that invest in the niche of each culture. Free Packs never raise Proficiency Points, but the character must be able to purchase them normally. (ex. if a character is a certain Affinity that locks them out of a category, they cannot take that specific free pack and must choose the alternative option.) If a Free Pack grants Magic of some type, that Magic can be of any Alignment the character can normally choose, or limited to a select alignment, which will always be written in the Free Pack description.
Mixed Heritage characters (i.e. characters born from two parents of different Cultures) may take one parent's 'Free Packs' and mix and match up to 5 Mechanics from both parents, although some Peoples cannot produce Mixed Heritage children (due to Magical/Fantasy reasons).
Free Packs
- Narim can choose one Prayer, or Cleric, or Magic Pack for free, either as Mundane, or classified as God Magic.
- Narim choose one free Pack from Training Point Buy, or Athletic Point Buy.
Mechanics
- Narim can attempt to sense a discordant note from a deep gestalt consciousness with the living, when they focus on an Event/DM Character, to learn if they have dark/evil/immoral intentions.
- Narim can Point Buy up to 3 Packs from Prayer Point Buy so long as they only have God Magic Dimension Alignment. Any other form of non-Mundaneness revokes this.
- Narim have night vision and are able to see in perfect (mundane) darkness, never needing a light or some other sight implemented in the sewers or at night.
- Narim can misdirect Sinistral God Magic in Emote Distance by others to be seen as Radiant by their Gods instead. This counts as them using Sinistral Magic instead, however.
- Narim can revert to a larval stage (not child-like, but grub-like) shedding their body, for 3 days. They can then change their arthropod species, and recover any lost limbs or remove scarring.
The Gestalt
The Gestalt is a barely understood psychic connection that the Narim have with all other living beings. It's not quite the same as reading someone's mind, nor can the Narim even directly control it. This Gestalt sometimes sends them messages or allows them to intuit a situation they are in, in ways that would not be otherwise possible for other living beings. What this means is that Narim can sometimes feel a disturbance in a person's intentions or words or mind, or receive some kind of flash or vision of the world that they might not understand. Outside of the Mechanic outlined in the Heritage Traits, players are encouraged to communicate with other players whether their Narim would receive some kind of Gestalt awareness about their Character(s). It is crucial to state again that this is not mind-reading, they cannot receive complex orders or intentions, rather they just pick up dark premonitions, or deceitful intentions from a person's energy, as a result of the subconscious gestalt of all other living beings expressing an experience felt from this person across space and time. While the Gestalt is not physical, the Narim Queen is somehow connected to its proper functioning, her Song of the Everwatcher that she sings at night in the Imperial Palace with her priestesses, lending in the manifestation of this Gestalt, and allowing it to function. It is said that if the Queen stopped singing, the connection between the Narim and the other living would evaporate.
Society
Narim society is not pillarized. That is to say, they do not abide by one homogenous culture or society, rather their people weave in and out of societies formed by other people or cultures, and usually merge into them or are born into them. This means that you could play a Narim of any of the existing Cultures (Particularly Ailor Cultures), and they would be a fully integrated aspect of said culture. However, because the Narim are so few in number (and will realistically be roleplayed few on the server also) we have some recommendations to help centralize the players together, outlined below.
- Breizh/Anglian Cultured Narim are called Swellych Narim, a bastardization of the Breizh "Six Eyes". These Narim are predominantly part of monastic and or Knightly Orders, taking aspects of either or both. Breizh Culture is largely based on real-world Celtic-like (predominantly Welsh) Cultures, and they also speak Welsh (called Breizh). Anglian Culture is based on real-world Lowlands-like (predominantly Dutch) Cultures, and they also speak Dutch (called Anglian). They would also adopt their naming customs. These Narim are generally considered more silent, stoic, brave, hard-working, and protective.
- Ithanian Cultured Narim are called Vitfou Narim, a bastardization of the Ithanian "Twenty Furs". These Narim are highly prized for their fashionable furs and shiny carapace plating, perfectly blending into the high-fashion high-culture customs of Ithanian society. Vitfou Narim often end up being entertainers, artists, or even just aristocracy, as they have adopted the dangerous court-intrigue style from the Ithanian Ailor and Elves, participating in "The Grand Game" with the same deceitfulnes and seductive ferocity as all other participants. Ithanian Culture is largely based on real-world French culture with a heavy emphasis on Ancien Regime French politics. They speak the French Language (called d'Ithanie) and adopt their naming customs also.
- Hive Tender Narim are Narim who abandoned their holy mission to wait for the Prophet, and returned to the Meraic Hive Cities. These Narim don't have a specific culture, and much of their customs and traditions lean more towards tribal habits, meaning each of them is a fantasy culture wild card in terms of naming, language, and behavior. Hive Tender Narim are not strictly enemies of the Unionist Narim in the Regalian Empire or vice versa, however there is some hesitance to deal with the Hive Tender Narim on the part of the Unionist Narim, because of the unpredictable nature of their distant cousins. Hive Tender Narim tend to come to Regalia to seek out more information about the Meraic Empire, particularly because their Hive Cities are complete ruins, and they often need help understanding how to maintain their functions.
Religion & Governance
Narim Religion and Governance is intrinsically entwined, so they will be discussed together, with "Narim Unionism" being an undercurrent of Unionism. The Narim are a unitary monarchy without sovereign territory, meaning that all Narim are obedient to a single royal House, the House of Gilead but they do not actually have a country of their own, they merely live in other countries. The ruler of House Gilead is currently Queen Efrat bat Batsheba mimishpachat haGilead, who has lived for several hundreds of years already, and is also recognized by all Unionists as being blessed by the Everwatcher, a rare occurrence. The Gilead ruler lives in the Imperial Palace's own Undercity (which is not connected to the general Regalian Undercity), to reflect its close association with the Regalian Emperor, who the Narim consider the Voice of Hashem (the Narim word for the Everwatcher). Narim Unionism differs somewhat from traditional Unionism. At a base, Narim Unionism obeys only the Everwatcher, it is in fact a monotheistic Religion, but it acknowledges all other Unionist Gods and Goddesses more like prophets who do the work of Hashem. Narim Unionism has schools of thought which largely follow along with the three Unionist Schisms, Dogmatic Unionism best connects with the School of Ortodoksi (which encourages a pious and devout lifestyle), Evintarian Unionism best connects with the school of Hofshi Ma'asei (which encourages a more hedonistic and freedom based lifestyle), while Emended Unionism best connects with the school of Hofshi Machshavi (which encourages an educated and critical-thought lifestyle). Because Narim Unionism does not get involved in the argument about which Gods and Goddesses are real, the Narim can reasonably get along with all Unionist Schisms. Note, taking Narim history into account, the Narim acknowledge that they were not created by Hashem, but that Hashem gave them purpose in a dark world and thus deserves their worship. Finally, it is important to note that the Narim do not believe in conversion. While it is possible for a person to be converted to Narim Unionism, it's a faith that only applies to the Narim, because The Teaching specifically applies to the role Narim are meant to play in the Great Way. It ascribes general virtues to people of other faiths, such as not cursing Hashem, committing no murder, committing no adultery or eating living creatures, not stealing and to establish courts of law. Following these virtues, the Narim believe any Race or Religion will be permitted to share in Paradise, which the Narim refer to as Olam Haba. Narim Unionism does not have a formal priesthood, though they refer to any scholar, mentor, or priest of other non-Narim Unionist teachings as "Rabbi", meaning teacher. Rabbi hold an important role in Narim society as mental health caretakers, as well as religious preachers.
World View
- The Narim are warm blooded, but generally have thick skin, carapace, or fur, which makes them considerably warmer. As much as the Undercity of Regalia is largely underground (thus keeping out the cold frost), it can still be very cold underground. The Narim rarely wear clothes save for a skirt, loin cloth, or some form of pants, though some Narim choose to wear Regalian clothing if they need to communicate often with surface dwellers.
- The Narim only consume Kosher meat, meaning animals that were ritually slaughtered in accordance with The Teaching. They have no real dietary restrictions, besides the fact that they are not permitted to eat meat with blood remnants still in it, or consume live animals, and find anyone doing this in their view disrespectful. This is why the Narim have a particular distaste of Vampires who drink blood, which is the essence of Life to them.
- The Narim love fruits of any kind, but particularly prickly pear or pear cactus. Narim consider gifts of fruits, especially very large well taken care of fruits with few blemishes, as some of the most respectful and deferential gifts they might ever receive.
- The Narim have a culture of indomitability. Attacks from the deep layers of the sewers are frequent, and Narim may lose their lives defending the Undercity. Even less than an hour after losing some of their own, the Narim may be back to tending to the poor, and protecting the weak. This is not callousness, but a sign of their iron will for life to continue on no matter the hardship.
- The Narim are a people of contrast. Their night-clubs and eateries may be some of the most jovial and life-loving places to be, but their Temples and prayer houses are some of the most solemn and virtuous destinations. A Narim can go from gregarious and joyous, to contemplative and silently observant in mere moments, should the situation call for it. They always say a prayer in thanks for before eating anything.
- To the Narim, to know things, is to have power over one's own fate. The Narim are always challenged to read and learn more, The Teachings from childhood, and in adult years more complex historical tomes and philosophical treatises. Most Narim are well read, and can cite most of the classical poets and literature writers.
- The Narim were never slaves, and they are quick to remind everyone of this. Even though the Allorn Elves deprived them of their freedom and property, they were never subject to the Allorn Elves so that they could control whether they lived or died. Even the Allorn Elves feared the power of the Harp of the Covenant if it were ever unleashed on them in a rebellion.
- Shabbat is every Sunday, the day of Hashem and a day of rest. The Narim work less on Sundays, but it is important not to assume that they would not strike down a murderer if they ran into one on Sundays. Even more so, they are violently offended if someone commits crime on a Sunday, calling upon all the Narim to punish the blasphemer for violating the peace of Hashem.
- Because all of the Narim Temples were destroyed over the millennia, they do not have formal Temples anymore. To the Narim, anywhere even just a single Narim sings the Chant of Hashem, is a Temple, and can be used for worship. Rabbi may sometimes walk to a corner of the street alone and begin the Chant, only to be joined by other Narim as time passes well into the night.
- Fasting and not eating is considered a solemn and virtous punishment or repentance for Narim (or non-Narim) who have done wrong in the eyes of Hashem. The Narim believe that to be deprived of nutrients, is to be brought closer to Hashem's will and a deeper personal understanding of one's place in the world.
- Some of the older Narim may still observe planned marriages between families, but younger Narim nowadays are free to love and be with whomever they please. Still, being together with someone who is not Narim isn't outwardly discouraged, but also not something parents might be pleased with or proud of. While Half-Narim are accepted in Narim society, such pairings are discouraged because in their eyes, it is hard to have a life partner who does not intimately understand The Teaching and live it, or convert to Narim Unionism.
- To Narim, waiters, bartenders, and other service staff in food and drinks establishments, are their friends. The Narim have an unusually high amount of interest in the personal lives of such service staff, and will strike up a long winding conversation that may sometimes put them at odds with their bosses for spending too much time chatting and away from work.
- Narim love drinking Arak, an anise-based liquor, though try to refrain from it in public. Public drunkenness is very much against the Teaching of Hashem, and will quickly cause disapproving words and looks from other Narim.
- The Narim love the beach, and having beach parties. A very common activity at the beach is the Matkot, a form of table-less ping-pong where they bounce a small leather ball back and forth with wooden rackets.
- While Narim are capable of a wide range of Body Shapes, in general, they are a fit bunch, given their near-mandatory military service in the protection of the Undercity from outsiders. The Narim however dislike indoor gyms, and much prefer outdoor activities like running along the beaches or swimming (Narim are in fact not hydrophobic!).
- To the Narim, other religions and gods are "real" insofar they are not actually gods, but rather just divine creations of Hashem. Only Hashem is omnipotent and omniscient to the Narim, while all other Gods are flawed and have weaknesses, and as such, cannot compare or compete with the one God, but Hashem still made them to fulfill a purpose in the world, which is why Narim will never engage in religious violence.
Trivia
- At the age of 18, Narim undergo the bar Mitzvah (for men) or the bat Mitzvah (for women). This ceremony signifies their coming of age, which involves reaching The Teaching to them in a group setting with family and friends, before a communal Chant of the Hashem. Afterwards, the Narim throw a big party with plenty of food and drinks and celebratory music, while Narim music in general is liturgical in nature, having no form of secular music except that played during Mitzvahs.
- The Four-Pointed Star is a symbol of the Narim people, representing the four Dimensions and their vows to protect all in the Undercity no matter their allegiance and heritage, so long as they follow the guidelines of Hashem for non-believers (such as do not murder, steal, eat living beings etc.).
- The Narim on average pray three times a day, during the morning, afternoon, and evening. Prayers are usually short, and can even be done while standing in line for groceries shopping as they are just a general thanksgiving to Hashem for blessings of the day.
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